Saturday, May 21, 2011

Lizzie Velasquez weighs just four stone and has almost zero per cent body fat but she'll be the first to tell you she's not anorexic.

The 21-year-old from Austin, Texas, actually eats every 15 minutes just to stay healthy.'I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.'

The Texas State University student has a condition that is so rare, there are only three known cases in the world. It prevents her from gaining weight even though she eats up to 60 small meals a day.

While she consumes between 5,000 and 8,000 calories daily in small meals eaten every 15 minutes, according to the Telegraph, the junior at Texas State University has never been able to weigh more than 60 pounds.

However Lizzie is lucky to have healthy teeth, organs and bones so the outlook is good. We will continue to study her case and learn from her.

Lizzie doesn't take medication but she relies on vitamin supplements and iron to stay healthy. It is thought she should be able to conceive naturally without passing the condition to her children.

She added'I do all the things my friends do, shopping, movies and parties.'But I hate it when people stare, or make comments. When I meet new people I have to say "Hi, I'm Lizzie and I have this rare syndrome, I am NOT anorexic."'

Currently there is no cure but her doctors predict if Lizzie keeps eating she has a bright future ahead of her.